My Month in Books | January 2025
Meadowland, wild places, octopuses - and stories about family, friendship & community
It will come as no surprise to you that I started the year with my favourite genre. I read two excellent nature writing titles.
Also, it seems like I have a penchant for novels about friendship and the power of community lately. (Do you have any recommendations? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.)
And then something strange happened: I came across a book that I truly loved at first and was so appalled by as I read on. My impression of the book changed completely! I haven’t had that in a while …
Does that count as a wild month of reading?
Well, let’s start with my favourite book, it’s a quiet one …
Non-fiction books
Meadowland: The Private Life of an English Field, John Lewis-Stempel
The book chronicles the life of an English field in Herefordshire on the edge of Wales during a year from January to December, plants and animals alike. A variety of areas like a ditch, a river, a marsh field, a meadow, hedges and trees make for an abundance of life, flora and fauna. There’s a badger clan, a fox family, a curlew pair, rabbits and skylarks, to name a few.
Lewis-Stempel is a keen observer. He notices in nature what many others might miss. His deep-rooted connectedness to the land throughout every season is palpable.
The book is also interspersed with poetry, folklore and historical snippets of country living and farm life. Similar to James Rebank’s English Pastoral (read my review here), I felt reminded of the old country life, when work was still manual labour and humans were closer to the soil, the plants, the animals - and nature, also their own. It also reminded me of some of my ancestors who were farm labourers and small farmers and about whose lives I heard a lot of as a child. I always felt close and connected to them and maybe that's why I love Meadowland and English Pastoral so much, even though my ancestors lived in Schleswig-Holstein (Northern Germany), not in England.
What especially stands out about the book is the language, an exquisite poetic prose, beautifully crafted sentences and strong imagery. It’s nevertheless easy to read and makes for a wonderful book, written by a knowledgeable and passionate author.
I was so charmed by his observations, his descriptions and the beautiful language, I read parts of the book several mornings aloud - just to myself. (I’ve already mentioned it briefly in my post What Made Me Happy in January 2025 - Week 3.)
A calm, beautiful & informative book, engaging, rich, closely-observed. Such a joy to read! My favourite book this month.
The Wild Places, Robert Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane explores the question if there are any genuinely wild places left in Britain and Ireland. From forest to moor, mountain to saltmarsh, he goes on both an intellectual and physical journey, portraying varied landscapes and exploring what wilderness means to him (and to us).
The books mixes history, memory and landscape, it tells of monks, poets, philosophers, artists, scientists and others that came before him, people in search of wilderness, touched by it.
The book is a treasure trove of historical and cultural-historical literary references, woven into the descriptions of his own wilderness experiences. There are also geological, mineralogical and biological excursions. He spans a very broad arc through time as well as space which is exceedingly interesting.
Looking at various aspects of wilderness, his own understanding of it also changes in the process, it expands over time. It’s very inspiring to go on that journey with him.
Although I liked some of his beautiful crafted sentences and innovative images, I wasn't really compatible with his writing style. There was the very literarised form of encounter with nature and wilderness, often dreamlike, completely absorbed in it, when he spends the night in various places in the wilderness. Then again the text turned very scientific (geological, mineralogical). This combination didn't really work for me, I often missed the middle ground. For me, it didn't read very smoothly that way. I also often couldn't really visualise the places from his descriptions (and then googled them, to be honest). That doesn’t happen to me often.
Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book. It has inspired me a lot to continue thinking about my idea of wilderness and my longing for it. Lots of food for thought even outside of this, e.g. it sparked my interest in learning more about the history of cartography. (I’ve already ordered a book from the library.)
Fiction books
Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt
After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shifts as a cleaning lady at the aquarium. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been trying since her 18-year-old son mysteriously disappeared from a boat in Puget Sound over 30 years ago.
Saying hello and goodbye to the various sea animals every night, Tova finds herself talking more and more frequently to Marcellus while mopping the floors and tidying up. Marcellus is a giant Pacific octopus - and quite a personality. Highly intelligent and quite adept at escaping his tank when he wants to roam about, getting himself a midnight’s snack.
These two form an unlikely, but remarkable friendship, helping each other to find rest in their (various) hearts.
Then there’s Cameron, somewhat lost in life, a young man who has come to town looking for the father he never knew. His mother left when he was young and he was raised by his aunt. Coming to the aquarium, of all places, also changes his life unexpectedly.
This was a novel that I enjoyed from start to finish without any ifs and buts.
I liked the characters a lot, from Tova and Marcellus to the secondary characters as well, each one loveable, with flaws and eccentricities, and I rooted for every one of them to find whatever it was they seeked. I particularly enjoyed to read about how loneliness can be transformed, cracked open, with the slightest touch from another living being, even from a different species.
Telling the story from different point of views worked beautifully for me. Marcellus’ chapters were a delight!
Original, charming and heart-warming, a sensitive and beautiful novel about friendship and family, life and grief, loss and love, touching, but with just the right amount of light, heartfelt humour. I loved it!
The Saturday Place, Alice Peterson
Soul Food, a community café in London that offers heavily subsidised meals once a week for anyone who is in need of a nourishing meal and some conversation, is the centre of the story. Here, Holly, Angus and Lauren meet, all three of them going through a rough time and on the brink of giving up.
Holly’s husband died, and she’s lonely. A voluntary cooking job at the café is the last straw she is clutching at. Angus has messed up his marriage, lost his job, the respect of his family and has none for himself. If it weren't for his brother and friend who run the cafe, he'd be sleeping on the streets. Lauren, just 19 years old, arrives from the homeless shelter. People scare her, and she doesn’t trust anyone.
This novel about love, friendship and the power of community tells the story of how these three people become a lifeline for each other.
I enjoyed the premise, the set-up and I liked the characters as well as the insight into homelessness and community cafés. The book tackled some big life issues - grief and loss, childhood trauma and homelessness among others - with a light touch.
Unfortunately, the book lost me in the second half due to some pretty unconvincing plot twists and a few too deliberate turns. The ending didn’t satisfy me either.
It’s a pity, the book started so promisingly, it was warm, thougtful, interesting and engaging, but unfortunately didn’t live up to my expectations.
And then there was …
I wasn’t sure at first if I wanted to write about this book, and when I did write about it because I felt so strongly about it and so torn, I wasn’t sure I wanted to include it here. I’ve rarely come across a book that I really liked at first and was so appalled by as I read on. But sometimes this happens with reading adventures - just like in real life, right?
The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness, Sy Montgomery
The book is about Sy Montgomery’s scientific and emotional attraction to octopuses. She recounts how she has befriended several octopuses, highly intelligent, complex creatures with very different and quite distinct personalities, mainly during her regular visits to the New England Aquarium in Boston.
The book also focuses on the relationships that are forged within the community of people which arises from their mutual care for the octopuses.
Because Montgomery longs to meet octopuses in their element, she eventually learns to scuba dive and journeys to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico in pursuit of the wild, solitary mollusks.
It was my first book about octopuses, and I was totally amazed by these creatures. I learned a lot and I liked the writing style. I deeply enjoyed the depth of the passionate descriptions and experiences that the author shares. I love when people talk about their passion, showing me what it means to them and why. It’s not important what their passion is. It’s just infectious!
I also liked how the author and the others in the New England Aquarium were so eager to make contact, to build a connection to the respective animals they were working with. To be so open.
A fascinating, informative, entertaining and at times moving book!
At first.
The more I read, the more uncomfortable I became with what the author was saying and describing and how unreflective she seemed. My impression of the book changed completely.
Keeping a wild creature in captivity is generally problematic or at least controversial (personally I don’t like zoos, aquariums etc.), but to pen an animal in a pickle barrel for months, from which the octopus quickly outgrew, without any mental stimulation at all, because there was supposedly no other option when the octopus ‘on display’ lived longer than expected and couldn’t be replaced as quickly as planned, was just horrible to read and seemed completely selfish to me. Where’s the ethic there?
When the author pulled out all the stops to swim with octopuses in the ocean, well, as interesting as it was to read about at first, I felt repelled as I read on, it’s all about the humans, what they want, how they - come hell or high water - want to meet an octopus, touch it, swim with it. Has any thought been given to what the animals want or like? If Montgomery loves these creatures as much as she claims, why isn’t more thought given to what’s really good for them?
I often felt sorry for the animals as they clung to the people, clutched their arms and often tried to climb out of their tanks (or barrels). Who knows if they were really looking for contact? I didn't necessarily find it conclusive and perhaps more wishful thinking because the author herself would have liked to see it that way.
The “wonder of consciousness” part was in my opinion massively exaggerated and remained very superficial. As I didn’t read the book for that, I didn’t mind, I just wondered what the title had to do with anything in the book to be honest. To me it seemed far too emotional, pseudo-philosophical or reading things into the animal’s behaviour that weren’t backed up scientifically in the book at all.
So, VERY mixed feelings about the book.
However, as it happened to be the first book I read about octopuses, it sparked my interest in getting to know these fascinating animals better. There must be better books or documentaries out there. Any suggestions? :)
Is it somewhat contradictory that I enjoyed Remarkably Bright Creatures so much when I took such a dislike to Sue Montgomery’s book in the end? No, because the first one is fiction and anything is possible in fiction. That’s what we love about it, right?
I’m looking forward to February and new reading adventures!
Interested in my previous reading months?
September 2024 - Special Edition: Rural Life
Great suggestions, these! Since you ask, here is an older recommendation but likely you may have already seen: My Octopus Teacher, a documentary? May be a book also.
Here is a sampler: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s0LTDhqe5A
It's been a long time since I watched but I do recall being impacted for a few days afterwards - so thoughtful, poignant.
Generally, we humans are pretty terrible aren't we (especially just at the moment) and I've always been troubled as to WHY everything has to be set up as "red in tooth and claw."
Thank you for this gentle (and useful) respite from the news!
They all sound interesting books, thanks for sharing. Don't think I'll read that last one though, how awful!!
I've recently finished reading The Horizontal Oak. Sometimes quite heavy topics, but I really loved Polly's writing style.